Dance with me tonight
by Hiei's Cute Girl
Summary: Tsunade didn't feel like going, Pein didn't feel like going. Two kindred souls, one compromising situation, a song that describes it all. They couldn't help but do as the songs said: Dance. Itachi/Sakura, one-shot.


**A little fic based on the song of 'Dance with me tonight'. One-shot**

**Sakura/Itachi pairing, so…**

**Enjoy! (When it's in Italics, it means she's flashing back. I didn't feel like typing 'flashback' because it seems too dumb…) The lyrics are also in Italics, so bear with me. **

Sakura sighed, rubbing her temples with her able fingers. She wondered exactly why she was even in this fancy gala. Sure, Tsunade had been invited, but she'd sent her in her stead, saying she needed a break.

Sometimes, she really had to doubt her Shishou's sanity.

"_Sakura!" the young woman of twenty snapped to attention from her seat, dropping the documents in her hands and standing to face the Hokage._

"_Hai?" she asked curiously._

"_I've got a mission for you…" Tsunade spoke seriously, her folded hands obscuring part of her face like they normally did._

_Sakura stood erect, ready for anything._

"_I was invited to a gala, and am being forced to attend, but I don't feel like it, so you're going instead."_

_But this._

_Sakura stared at her teacher with a stupefied expression. The most eloquent thing she could manage was an elegant: "Wha-…"_

_The blond woman made a face, leaning forward and snapping Sakura's mouth shut. "Stop that, your face will freeze like that if you keep it up."_

_The young woman sputtered, shaking her head in denial, "But Tsunade-sama! I can't go for you. They'll know it's me! Anyway, it's a party for all of the powerful people of all of the countries!"_

_The woman grinned, leaning back in her chair smugly. "Yes, exactly!" she held up the invitation, "It says here: if the Kage is unable to attend, she/he may send a replacement."_

_Sakura stepped up, scrutinizing the little paper that was surely going to be her down fall. She read the fine print at the bottom of the invitation, groaning when she noticed the elder woman had been right. _

_She took a couple of steps back, shaking her head vigorously. "But I don't know anything about dance parties, I have no decent dress, and I-I…" she searched for more reasons to decline, but could find no more. Glancing up from her slouching position, Sakura stared pleadingly at her teacher._

_Tsunade only smirked in return, her eyes glowing mischievously. Sakura, noticing the gleam in those amber orbs, immediately snapped, "Dammit, you can't make me do this!"_

"Dammit, I can't believe she made me do this."

Sakura sighed, fingering the silver fork between her fingers. Glancing up, she watched with longing eyes at the dancing group of people in the middle of the room. Truthfully, it had always been her dream to go to such a beautiful party. The ballroom was absolutely lovely. The white marble walls were decorated with silky, blood-red curtain hanging in waves from the ceiling. The chandelier in the middle of the room blazed brightly, the pristine crystal increasing the lighting effects of the flames. The corners and walls of the room were decorated with the occasional plant, which Sakura realized were fake, distributed in even distances. The Greek coulombs holding up the room looked remarkably classy, the rebounding shine of the marble making it seem almost divine.

In short, it was like a God's dance party.

The guests were just as beautiful as the room. Dresses from black to white were littered all over the room. From poofy and frilly styles to slim and sleek designs varied from woman to woman. Bright gems and precious stones blinked gleefully at the chance to show off their beauty. Long necklaces, chokers, large and small earrings, multiple rings, they were all so lovely. Elegant tuxedoes looked as stunning as the men wearing them. Slicked back hair, or long hair in a pony-tail, they all looked so handsome it almost made Sakura cry.

Sakura herself had been dressed up. She was wearing more jewels than she had ever worn before. Two rings on each finger, diamonds winking at her as the shone under the fierce light. A choker around her neck, with a large, tear-shaped emerald sitting comfortably between her clavicles. Gold bracelets littered her slim arms abundantly. Her bright pink hair had been pinned to her head in a bun with two golden chopsticks. Sparkles lit up her shiny hair, making it seem a golden-pink color. The make up placed on her was minimal, Ino had said she barely needed it. Black eyeliner was inserted for good measure, accenting her large emerald colored eyes. The gold eye shadow had been smeared with some lip gloss; it glowed faintly under the glaring light. Her lips were colored to be the same as her hair, bringing out their full-potential.

What looked most stunning was her long, green dress. It matched her eyes, bringing them out with an intensity that had many males looking in her direction. It stuck to her shoulders, chest, and flat stomach. From the hips down it opened up, fluttering around her legs like a cat, showing off their long shape, yet hiding them at the same time. The sleeves stuck to her arms until it got to her elbows, then, just like the dress, it opened up to flutter around her slim arms, ending two inches above her wrists.

All in all, she looked gorgeous.

She sat elegantly at her table, chatting amiably with a young woman she had met earlier that evening. Movement to her right caught her attention. Gaara sighed, sitting down next to Sakura.

"So the Lady Hokage decided to bail out, eh?" he asked, reaching onto the table to pick a small apple. He was dressed just as elegantly as she was, his black tuxedo shining. His red hair had been tamed to a point it didn't stick out in every direction, however, some random strands still stuck up a bit, reminding Sakura of a flame when she looked at him. A blood red tie that matched his hair was wrapped loosely around his neck, giving him that messy bad-boy look. His looks made her heart race.

Sakura nodded goodbye to the other woman, and picked a fruit of her own, a peach. "Yep, and I got stuck here."

"You look beautiful tonight, Sakura." The Kazekage said simply, taking a bite of his apple.

The young woman blushed prettily, "Thank you," her voice shook as she tried to regain her breath, finally, she turned to the very handsome man by her side, "you look handsome, Gaara-sama."

The red-head sent her a small smile, "Gaara will do for tonight, Sakura."

The blush resurfaced at the way her name rolled down his tongue. "Alright, Gaara."

The man was about to open his mouth again, however, a tap to his arm made him turn to the woman who appeared by his side. Temari smirked at her annoyed brother, "The ambassador's wife wants to dance with you, Gaara."

The young man sighed, standing up from his comfortable chair. Nodding in apology to Sakura, who smiled in return, he stalked off.

Temari looked down at the smiling kunoichi, her mouth quirking up to a smirk. "Wow, doesn't someone look good tonight?"

Sakura stopped staring at Gaara's behind, snapping her attention to Temari in surprise. "What?"

The other woman laughed, holding up a royal blue fan up to her face. "You're awfully ditzy tonight, pinky."

Sakura blushed in return, not liking the new nickname, "I've never been to such an event before."

Temari's smirk turned into a sympathetic smile. She turned to face the dance floor, watching as her brother dance with the older woman. "Quite over-whelming isn't it?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah."

The blond woman patted Sakura's shoulder, "You get used to it after a while. Just try to enjoy yourself Sakura, it passes faster that way."

Sakura nodded again, laughing when she saw that the ambassador's wife had fallen into Gaara's arms. The redheaded man looked slightly uncomfortable, glancing up with pleading eyes at his sister, who chuckled, then walked to him, waving goodbye to the pink haired woman with her fan.

On the other side of the dance floor, sat the Akatsuki. Pein had ordered Itachi and Deidara to go take a peek at the party when he had received the invitation. Apparently, the letter was for all of the leaders of the countries, and it seemed he qualified as a leader of something.

Itachi watched with thinly-veiled boredom, almost rolling his eyes when he saw Deidara dancing with a young, black haired woman. He nearly raised an eyebrow, noticing that the young blond was somewhat of a good dancer.

He sighed, this party was nothing but a way to show off a country's wealth. And all of the countries were doing their best, it seemed. That was when he spotted something interesting. The ex-host of the Shukaku was in the party? That couldn't be right. The young man was supposed to be dead. He stood, his black suit whispering softly as it settled on his lean frame. His unbuttoned jacket fluttered open with a small breeze as he walked, his navy blue tie pressing against his flat abdomen and white dress shirt. Sticking his hands into his pant pockets, he followed the young Kazekage silently, making sure to stay behind so he would not be noticed.

Gaara stopped walking when he reached a table with two women, he sat down to the right of one. Itachi could not see this woman, for the Kazekage blocked his view. He sat down in a nearby chair, reading the redheads lips.

"So the Lady Hokage decided to bail out, eh?" he read, his eyes widening a small fraction when he realized this person was from his home village.

The woman must have said something in return, for he saw a slight twitch in the Kazekage's lips. He brought an apple to his lips, obscuring Itachi's view of them for a moment before he took a bite of the yellow fruit.

Itachi made a face at this, hating the young Kazekage for not letting him see what he'd said.

The Kazekage smiled softly once he swallowed the bite he'd taken from the fruit, "Gaara will do for tonight-" Itachi missed the rest of it when a young woman jumped in front of him, asking if he could spare her a dance. He coldly shook her off, sending her packing before she could even object.

He watched as the young Kazekage was approached by a blonde woman in a blue dress. He could not see what she said to him, but it obviously displeased him. He stood, nodding toward the woman he'd been talking to.

Itachi wanted to kill something. Even though the boy was gone, the woman who'd called to him now blocked his view of the woman he had been seated with. The two women talked for a while, then, laughter erupted from both of them. The blonde then left the other girl to her own devises, waving good-bye with a blue fan.

That was when he, finally, got a good look at her. She was stunning. Like a Goddess of nature. The green dress and pink-golden hair reminded him of a Sakura tree. That was when it hit him.

Sakura. Haruno Sakura. This woman was the ex-teammate of his foolish little brother. He calmed the slightly faster beating of his heart, reminding himself that his brother could not possibly be here. He'd seen this girl before, years ago. Six years ago, in fact. She had been but a young girl in the midst of puberty. Short, pink hair, long bangs, large green eyes, and a rather small, developing chest.

She had changed. His eyes settled on her abundant breasts. Yes, she had changed much.

Standing, he strode to the girl, standing just behind her chair. He was sure she knew he was there, his distinct chakra signature was repressed, but he gave it a small spike, letting her know it was him. She gave no sign of having sensed it, but a slight tensing in her shoulders told him otherwise.

"So you were chosen to be the replacement for the Hokage?" he asked conversationally, his eyes intent on the dance floor. She didn't even bother to look at him.

"Yes, it seems, as her apprentice, I was the most logical choice. You, however, I am at a loss as to why you are here," she responded with the same casual tone, taking another bite of her peach, ignoring the intense gaze that traveled to the drop of juice that dribbled from between her lips and onto her chin. She flicked it away with her kerchief.

"Our leader received an invitation. It seems he qualifies as a leader of something," he informed her curtly, watching her face from his position above her intensely. He then decided it was best if they were face to face. Snatching a chair, he put his back to the dance floor and sat down in what was, in Sakura's opinion, an aloof manner.

She raised a delicate eyebrow, swallowing the piece of peach to speak. "Then why are you here?"

"Why are you?" he retorted easily, proving a rather valid point.

Sakura's lips twitched in what Itachi hoped was a desire to smile. "Let me guess…" she said, humming in wonder before she snapped her pretty, golden nailed fingers, "your leader decided it was too much of a waste of time for him and said that you were a better choice."

Itachi let a small smile appear on his normally stoic features, she'd almost hit the nail on the head. "Close," he told her, holding up one long index finger, "he also wanted us to check out the people that were coming here and repot. I was hoping to find the Hokage, but I guess you'll do." The anger that flashed in her eyes was quite amusing to him, even more so when she refused to act on the rage boiling behind those mesmerizing green eyes. He found himself liking the controlled madness bouncing around her tantalizing orbs.

Instead of curling her upper lip back and snarling like an angered dog, Sakura let her lovely pink lips curl into a cold smile, one that Itachi found highly attractive. "I would have wished to meet your leader in person again, but I guess you'll also do."

The tension around them was becoming slightly unbearable to some onlookers. The young woman who had been sitting close to Sakura even stood and ran for cover from both ninjas who simply **leaked **killer intent.

Itachi gave her a slight, devilish smile that would send most women twirling into love-struck loops of pure happiness. However, Sakura wasn't even swayed by the ever so tempting, gorgeous Death Angel sitting before her. "So, Itachi-chan, what made you come over here to sit with little old me?" she asked him offhandedly, watching him stare at her intensely as she took another bite from her peach. She saw his eye twitch slightly at the '-chan' she'd dubbed him with, and gave herself a pat on the back, but he didn't even act upon the small annoyance.

He shrugged in the same indifferent manner she used to address him. "No special reason," he leaned forward snatching the peach and her hand with his larger one. Taking a rather large bite, he licked his lips in a satisfied conduct, watching her shocked, blushing expression carefully, "just wondering why a beautiful blossom like you could be alone on such a night."

Sakura resisted the very instinctive need to blush and stammer like a love-struck little school girl, then yell at him why he would bite her fruit instead of getting another from the bowl. Instead, she took back her peach, licking the place he bit into it sensually. She saw his eyes widen slightly at her action as he stared openly at her mouth. "Now, now, Itachi-kun," she reverted back to the proper way she should say his name, letting it roll off her tongue in the same way she'd licked the peach, "no need to lie. Why would you come waste your and my time other than to steal a bite of my peach?"

He then smirked, laying his head onto his pale palm as he rested his elbow on the table. Sakura frowned at his bad manners, but kept quiet about it. Itachi licked his lips, forcing hers to snap shut and stare at him oddly. "What? Does a gentleman need a reason to come sit with a lovely lady like yourself? And, anyway, why bite another peach? It would be a waste because I only wanted one bite. As a plus, you left a rather… interesting taste on it."

This time, Sakura did blush. Now that she thought about it, the place she'd licked had an almost unnoticeable spicy after taste to it. It seems she had just given Itachi an indirect kiss. She kept her mouth closed, not trusting herself to speak. Instead, she turned her head away, hoping he wouldn't catch the rosy tint on her cheeks.

Itachi smirked in amusement yet again. This woman was indeed very entertaining. He really knew not why his brother would even leave behind such a prize. Ah well, finders keepers. That was when he heard the piano that sat close by plinking away to a tune he was sure he's heard somewhere before. It went into a long intro, but was soon joined by the trumpet and the drums, along with some other instruments he could not name. A soft, manly voice became intertwined with the many voices of the different instruments. That was when he recognized the song.

_It's been so long,  
Since I've known right from wrong._

Sakura had also raised her head, and was swaying comfortably to the smooth beat. It seemed she also knew this song. That was when an idea struck him like lightning.

_Got no job, sometimes I just sit down and sob  
Wondering if anything will go right,  
Or will you dance with me tonight?_

A pale hand appeared before her eyes. Sakura followed the arm attached to the hand, then the torso to the arm, the neck to the torso, and the face beyond that. The scarred, pleasant features of the elder Uchiha stared down at her almost warmly. "Will you dance with me tonight?"

_When the sun departs,  
I feel a hole down in my heart._

She gave a full blown blush at his expectant expression and rather obvious pun, but nodded none the less. Her feelings for Sasuke were long gone, but that did not mean she did not appreciate the natural, or unnatural as most would say, beauty of his older brother. She placed her hand in his, ignoring the jealous stares from many of the women in the room as he lead her carefully to the dance floor.

_Put on some shoes,  
Come down here and listen to the blues._

Sakura let Itachi lead, falling into a synchronized step with him. He led her, swaying with the beat in a divine fashion. That was when she realized, as he spun her in a lazy circle with a single hand above her head, that this man, although a traitor, a killer, and a refined cold-hearted sadistic bastard, was an excellent dancer.

_Wondering if anything will go right,  
Or will you dance with me tonight?_

Itachi looked down, inspecting her every last detail. She was indeed beautiful. Yes, his brother must be truly insane to leave such a lovely, and, as he noticed the toned, obviously developed muscles, strong woman. He really wondered why his brother was so stupid. He should have taught him at least some common sense before leaving. But then, what would he say? _Make sure to never leave behind any beautiful woman? _Or,_ they're useful, and you'd be just plain stupid to give up such a chance? _That sounded both perverted **and **insane. Perhaps he was no better than his brother. Well, maybe he was better off, he reasoned as he watched her intently. At least he knew that he would make sure this pink haired beauty would remember his name by the time she walked back home tonight.

_I'm looking at you._

Sakura blinked, feeling the intense gaze of the man she was dancing with. Up until now, she hadn't even looked at him since he'd taken her to the dance floor.

_You're looking at me._

Sakura then raised her head to look at him square in the eyes. He wasn't much taller than her, only half a head so, but it seemed that was enough to force her to have to look up to meet his strong, rather unnerving stare. That was when she realized something.

_We're the only two off the dance floor,  
Do you see what I see?_

They were doing what the song told them! Sure, they were actually dancing, unlike what the song had said just now, but she didn't really think Itachi would set this up, nor that this was a mere coincidence. To prove a small portion of her point, Itachi raised and eyebrow, as if he'd been the one to ask the question the singer had asked. His small smirk told her he'd done something, but his dancing eyes made her relax in his grip.

_Two broken lives working in harmony,  
Might make for a decent time,  
So get up and dance with me._

Itachi really had to wonder who the hell had set this up, but he was not going to miss this chance. He swung them both around, making room, and slowly getting the attention of many of the dancers. The little blossom was no shabby dancer, and her ability to copy his moves to the T was astounding. They were now the center of attention, and Itachi was enjoying every little bit of it.

_I know that it seems that the grass will grow,  
Better on the other side of the barb wire fence.  
But.._

Itachi leaned down, pressing his lips to her ear as he whispered the lyrics in her ear. Sakura shivered slightly, and gave a small, kitten like whimper. Itachi nuzzled her neck, taking in the tantalizing scent of fruits, mainly peaches, on her skin. Sakura continued dancing, wondering how long this would go before she went into the dangerous zone of fraternizing with the enemy.

_That other side is not in sight,  
So I'm fine with what I have now._

Itachi shook his head as the first line was finished, his long bangs brushing her open collar and a portion of her slender shoulders. Sakura could almost take the words from his mouth, ready to guess exactly what he would say. The expectant, almost pleading look in his eyes told her. Plus, the fact that she knew this song by memory.

_If you'll dance with me tonight._

They sang the word together; a small, secretive smile appeared on Itachi's lips. So the little kitten was willing to play his game. It was time to step it up a notch.

_What's the point of life  
If risk is just a board game?_

Itachi actually asked her this. Sakura shrugged, adapting well to his irregular dance steps. He swung her in quick circles twice, and then let her fall back, catching her just in time and leaning into her, his lips a hairs breath from hers. Sakura stared into his almost disagreeing eyes, and almost swore she would kill him if she got the chance for forcing her to act in his little ploy.

_You roll the dice,  
But you're just hoping that the rules change._

Sakura sighed, as if saying 'what can I say?' Itachi inwardly smirked, glad that she was willing to go along with him. He threw her back to standing position, but didn't even let her catch her breath, or her balance. Immediately they were off, using all of the space the other dancers had made for them to its highest potential. Temari whistled in appreciation at the sight. It was like watching two cranes perform that beautiful mating dance they did every year.

_What's the point if you can't bring yourself to say  
Things you want to say like…_

Itachi paused again at this point, lazily turning her in his arms. The then rolled her away, tugging her into his arms again almost immediately. However, they ended up back to chest this time, her arms crossing in a figure x over her chest and abdomen as she held the hands that had strayed to her hips. He bit the shell of her left ear gently, running his tongue over it. Sakura shivered, anticipating his last sentence as he whispered it along with the singer.

_**Dance with me tonight.**_

He let the word tonight stay a little bit longer than necessary on his lips as he sang it. The whole crowd of spectators watching them broke into cheers, congratulating both them and the musicians and the singer for such a magnificent show. Sakura turned to looked at Itachi, facing him chest to chest and searching his clouded eyes for answers. Instead, he merely smiled that mysterious smile of his, and let his lips descend onto her almost expecting ones.

On the other side of the floor, the singer leaned onto the shiny black surface of the grand piano. The man smirked, turning to the pianist, who was watching the couple with mild amusement.

"See? Told you I could get him to dance," Deidara told the other man, putting his head on the palm of his hand as he rested his elbow on the piano. The microphone rested innocently in his hand, the red light that had been glowing to indicate the fact that it turned on momentarily shut off.

The pianist laughed, placing the money he owed the blonde man on the piano. But, before the Akatsuki member could take it away and hide it in his pocket, he slammed his hand down on it again. "And I told you we could get him to kiss her, so we're even," Naruto informed the other blonde, smirking triumphantly.

Deidara leaned back with an annoyed expression before a large smile broke his face in two. "You know, you're not bad for a demon host!"

Naruto laughed, clasping his large tan hand with the young man before him in a temporary truce sign. "And you're not bad for a mass murderer!"

They guffawed together for a couple of minutes before a tambourine that wasn't even needed in this song smacked them both over their heads. Tsunade shook her head at them, sighing. "I don't know why I even went along with this," she turned to the person standing next to her place behind the drums, raising an eyebrow. "Why did we go along with this?"

Beside her, Gaara lowered his golden trumpet. "You tell me, Lady Hokage."

**

* * *

**

Yep! The End! Turns out Sakura's and Itachi's gut feelings that someone had set them up were correct. Ha, ha!

**You know, I intended to make this Sakura/Itachi from the start, but when Gaara came into the picture, I was tempted to write the black-haired mystery off the map and pair the red head and the little pink kitten together. However, my fan-girlism won, and I was able to resist the urge. **

**Halleluiah! I think it came out pretty well. At first, I though of using the song of Way Back Into Love on this, but then I thought, **_**that sound more like Sasuke/Sakura!**_** So, yeah, that idea went out the window. **

**I hope a lot of you watched the movie Music and Lyrics. Personally, I loved it. Hugh Grant is one of the best comedians I've even seen. The man is a genius. Maybe that's just me, but yeah.**

**The ending was… truthfully? It was improvised. I hadn't really planned it this way until the last second, when the idea suddenly popped into my head and waved neon green and red signals that said it was meant to be here. Ha! Trust me to go by my gut feelings. Oh well, the ending before this one was quite short, and I really disliked it. Why? Because Sasuke came into the picture. I don't hate Sasuke, really, but when he gets all possessive, it gets on my nerves. Anyway, how was I supposed to introduce him into the story? Just because he's the leader of a four-man team named Hebi doesn't mean he's the leader of anything more than what qualifies as 'a small group of bandits'. So, yeah, that was an obstacle that I didn't feel like jumping, so, instead, I simple walked by.**

**I liked how Gaara was involved though. I had first thought of leaving it where Tsunade questions her sanity for the reason she was there, you know the 'I don't even know why I went along with this' quote? Yeah, I was going to stop there, but I wanted Gaara to have the last laugh, so, he ended up being one of the musicians. **

**I love Gaara, seriously.**

**Anyway, I'm surprised Itachi didn't recognize Deidara's voice on the speakers. Then again, one's voice changes when they sing, so it's shouldn't be too weird.**

**Yeah, anyway! I hope you enjoyed this ten paged plot bunny! Eleven pages with the AUs. (About 5,035 words... wow!)**

**HCG.**

**P.S: If you spot any mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me. I edited this and went through it with a fine comb three times, but I could still make mistakes. **

**Please review!**


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